The University of Texas Austin’s Webber Energy Group and The Ray, a highway innovation organization, have partnered together to create a road map for areas on the U.S. interstate system that have potential for solar energy generation.
The map would allow all 48-continental states to have access to an interactive web-based tool that shows how much solar energy could be generated on interstate exits. The analysis from the groups showed that most states have more than 200 miles of interstate Right-of-Way at exits that are suitable for solar development, which could generate up to 36 TWh per year of clean energy and provide approximately $4 billion in revenue to state Departments of Transportation.
“Interstate solar just makes sense,” Harriet Langford, founder and president of The Ray, said. “Like my daddy, Ray Anderson, used to say, this is ‘so right, so smart.’ As our transportation systems become smarter and electrified, we will need more energy available, closer to the interstate and interstate exits, and more funding to support the infrastructure demands. By enabling renewable energy generation using the idle roadsides, our DOTs can help to fill this gap.”
According to the groups, most states have interstate solar potential in the thousands of GWH per year. Depending on the state, that’s the equivalent of between $2.5 million and $181.4 million per year of carbon-free electricity. Additionally, putting in solar installations at interstate ROWs would reduce roadside maintenance and reduce energy costs for maintenance vehicles, reducing DOT operating costs.
“The aim of this project is to provide a report and mapping tool by which State DOTs or other interested parties can assess the potential for installing solar in the interstate ROW in all contiguous 48 states. We have found that when stakeholders have unbiased information available to them, they can make energy decisions with a lot more clarity and confidence,” Michael Webber, Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UT, said. “That’s our goal with this study: to help people understand the potential for interstate solar so that policymakers, developers, and investors have a clearer view of the opportunity.”